JoaS

I'm popping in to give a little update on my progress, focusing better in 2020. Some changes I've made so far: JacobJewelry - I closed up shop and took a few weeks off at the end of February. I used the time to do a bit of rebranding, restructuring, and housecleaning, going through all of my designs with a strict eye for detail and a high set of standards. This greatly restricted the number of listings I offer, but I am so very pleased with their quality and style. I purchased many new, upgraded materials, and even found a great bead seller that abides by international fair trade regulations and has the most beautiful handmade beads from artisans in Ghana, Nepal, and elsewhere around the world. This is not something I had considered important for my business before, but now I can't believe I overlooked such an easy way to "give far"--see this post for more on that. The pricing has changed a bit for some pieces because of this, but overall prices...

With only about two weeks left before Maggie arrives, I thought I'd share some photos of the completely finished nursery! It took quite some time to launder and organize all the clothes and blankets. We were simply blown away by the generosity of our community, friends, and family. We are more than set with baby gear and little Margaret Elizabeth should not want for attention or love, that's for sure. Leftover shower decor makes for pretty cute nursery decor, if you ask me. The OG Margaret Elizabeth (my 93 year old great aunt) gifted Maggie this beautiful silver rattle with her name engraved on each end. I know it will be a cherished keepsake. Every child also needs a globe, in my opinion, to dream about and discover faraway places. This one happened to be Michael's as a child. My brother painstakingly hand cut each of the letters to make this beautiful pennant banner for our baby shower, and I promised we would keep it forever! It looks fantastic and...

There are so many celebrations going on right now: back to school, off to college, birthdays, anniversaries. We are heading into Fall and the holiday season will be upon us before we know it. Not to mention, it's Labor Day weekend and there are so many sales going on and many great deals to be enjoyed. I am someone who loves to get an early start on holiday gifts, and thought I would go ahead and share my thoughts on gift giving. Gifts is my second love language and I love thinking about the perfect gift for a certain person and the best way to stretch my limited resources or funds the furthest. One way I love to "give far" is to support small businesses . As a small business owner myself , I know just how much every single purchase means to the person behind the shop. It's one more drop in the bucket that fuels the dream, and it is particularly encouraging to those who sell their handmade wares. It's another vote of confidence for their craft and talent. Not...

It's been a week! In case you missed it, Love Meg from Youtube sported some JJ Pineapple Tassel Earrings in one of her videos this Summer and on Instagram this week: Giftsy Handmade then featured my Faberge Tassel Earrings on their website  and social media accounts! JacobJewelry on GiftsyHandmade.com It has been a learning process and an awesome experience growing and operating my own shop. I'm constantly discovering new outlets for marketing, other Etsy shops and sellers, not to mention insights into buyers and viewer reach. It's all a little overwhelming at times, but I'm so beyond grateful for the opportunity to try my hand at it and get to be creative. I just listed several new items for the end of Summer and back to school season, too! There are several dainty drop earrings in so many fun colors, a few more fun and Summery tassel earrings, and now plenty of options for all those Carolina, Clemson, and other SEC fans...

We've been very busy visiting and hosting family the last week, so I did not get to cook at home much and was not able to prepare the new recipe to share with you all today...que lastima. BUT! I am very pleased to fill any readers in on a bit of good news I received over the weekend regarding my Etsy shop, JacobJewelry : I will be featured today on @etsyachiever Instagram account! Go check it out! While you're there, check out all the other talented Etsy shop owners and their beautiful creations available for purchase! There are some really neat items, and some great deals going on for the holiday week -- ALL listings in my shop  are 40% off through Wednesday, July 4 so be sure to check them out soon! On a deeper note: It's been very flattering, and humbling, watching the number of followers and attention for my shop slowly climb. I can't believe one of my life's dreams is actually coming true. It hardly seems real ...

I've mentioned before that gifts is one of my love languages, and it's one of the ways I most like to love on others. I love finding the perfect gift that reminds me of a certain person and watching their face (hopefully) light up as they appreciate it. My husband's love language is not gifts and my brother is not very demonstrative upon opening presents, either, but the point of a gift is to convey my love to them and I believe it does just that. Some of my favorite gifts to put together are gifts for couples. It doesn't even have to be a wedding gift, though with wedding season upon us that was the inspiration for this post. The past few years I have loved getting to think about what the couple might be doing for their honeymoon, or what they might enjoy doing together on a regular basis as they begin their life together. Living at the beach, one of my absolute favorite gifts to give to new brides is a monogrammed baseball cap for her to wear on the boat...